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Shiv 
"What a Wonderful World"
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 Posted - 03/26/2007 : 13:18:53
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quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
quote:
Originally posted by Yukon
And no wonder why my Blades of Glory review a few weeks ago in the FYC got so few votes. People haven't heard about the movie yet. You'll be seeing it soon because it opens this Friday and I'm betting its going to be a blockbuster. Will Farrell and Jon Herder play a competitive all-male pairs figure skaters. I'm not the biggest Will Farrell fan but this looks funny!
Um... hope you all enjoy it. I, on the other hand, will avoid it like the plague. I totally dispise Will Farrell, and nothing anyone can say will convince me that he's any different in this one than in any of his other films. Hell, one of my reviews of The Wedding Crashers proves that (and if I had known he appeared in the film, I might have changed the channel LONG before his scenes came on).
(Blech! and  x 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000)
At least you got to kill him off in FWTO. But, do tell - what is it about him that you hate so much - go on, go on, tell us  |
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Whippersnapper. 
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 13:47:44
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quote:
Originally posted by damalc
spade is a derogatory term. and as long as we're talking about that word, i'm curious about Salopian's review for "Blood Diamond": "Diamond, spade." i suppose in that case Salop' could be talking about an actual digging tool.
being offended is an occupational hazard in a free society.
As is the obligation upon decent people not to gratuitously offend others.
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Demisemicenturian 
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 14:09:04
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quote:
Originally posted by damalc
spade is a derogatory term. and as long as we're talking about that word, i'm curious about Salopian's review for "Blood Diamond": "Diamond, spade." i suppose in that case Salop' could be talking about an actual digging tool.
I certainly am (and would hope that you would think that by far the most likely case). I explained things at length here. I maintain my view that avoiding saying things that are unambiguously non-racist (i.e. in terms of the actual meanings of the words, where tone is not relied upon at all) for fear of a racist misinterpretation is a negative thing, and not helpful for the lessening of racism in the world. (My opinion is that such a strategy is in fact rather more a feature of slightly racist people, of the type who even get awkward using the word black around black people.) The tool meaning of spade is vastly more common, and the subject of the film is quite a normal context for a spade to appear in. And please don't call me Salop'. |
Edited by - Demisemicenturian on 03/26/2007 17:19:06 |
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MisterBadIdea
"PLZ GET MILK, KTHXBYE"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 14:47:11
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My thoughts are that Will Ferrell is a very, very hit-and-miss comedian. When he is on (in things like Anchorman, Talladega Nights, the otherwise uninteresting Old School, and the weirdly sweet Stranger Than Fiction), he is just note-perfect. When he is off (Wedding Crashers, Elf, the otherwise funny Zoolander, or God-help-us Bewitched), there is no one worse in the universe.
Blades of Glory looks so bad. So very, very bad. The presence of Napoleon Dynamite (now there's some overrated comedy) is also not a good sign.
As for the whole "Spades of Glory" thing, I'm not offended by it and will never be. I do think, however, that if you're trying to be funny, you have to be aware of the ramifications of your words. "Spade" is a very loaded word, and you have to be able to use the tastelessness of it very carefully in order to preserve the joke. |
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demonic
"Cinemaniac"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 15:59:49
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| I can't say I've ever found Will Ferrell funny. That feeling was intensified dramatically last night when I endured "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" on TV as his "hilarious" wildlife warder. Surely that film is one of the lamest feature length jokes in history. |
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Downtown 
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 16:24:01
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quote:
Originally posted by demonic
I can't say I've ever found Will Ferrell funny. That feeling was intensified dramatically last night when I endured "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" on TV as his "hilarious" wildlife warder. Surely that film is one of the lamest feature length jokes in history.
Hardly seems fair to blame Will Ferrell for that. |
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demonic
"Cinemaniac"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 16:54:15
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Well you've got to admit he has some involvement in his own performance.  |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 17:10:52
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quote:
Originally posted by redPen
It's sort of an implied agreement in here that we wear thick skins. While I would find many reviews offensive in the "outside world," I don't take them as seriously in here.
I don't agree with this. There is only one world and this site is part of it. Some people like to say that people should have thick skins, but there's definitely no overall agreement on this. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 17:11:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Josh_the_cat
If a coloured/black etc person finds it offensive I don't know but I assume that a large number would.
Hhmmm... |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 17:13:35
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quote:
Originally posted by MisterBadIdea
But, on second thought, you are effectively submitting an FWFR that says, basically, "Niggers of Glory." Ask yourself: Is it really that funny?
This is a good point. People are always submitting such reviews (not with nigger or spade, but with others) on the basis of humour, but the basis of the 'humour' is just that people like to use these offensive terms. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 17:18:13
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quote:
Originally posted by Yukon
I've been philospohical about racial slurs after a story I wrote for the newspaper I work it. It contained the phrase "midget." A 'little person' called me up screaming, saying midget to a dwarf is like calling a black person a nigger.
I apoligized, but remember thinking "Who made you the language police? Who are you to suddenly decide that word is offensive?" I still hear the word used all the time.
But this isn't new. That term has been considered offensive for as long as I can remember. Sure, if you could find a significant minority of people with restricted growth who found it acceptable nowadays, that might be a bit different, but I'd be surprised if you could. |
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damalc 
"last watched: Sausage Party"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 17:45:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
quote:
Originally posted by damalc
spade is a derogatory term. and as long as we're talking about that word, i'm curious about Salopian's review for "Blood Diamond": "Diamond, spade." i suppose in that case Salop' could be talking about an actual digging tool.
I certainly am (and would hope that you would think that by far the most likely case). I explained things at length here. I maintain my view that avoiding saying things that are unambiguously non-racist (i.e. in terms of the actual meanings of the words, where tone is not relied upon at all) for fear of a racist misinterpretation is a negative thing, and not helpful for the lessening of racism in the world. (My opinion is that such a strategy is in fact rather more a feature of slightly racist people, of the type who even get awkward using the word black around black people.) The tool meaning of spade is vastly more common, and the subject of the film is quite a normal context for a spade to appear in. And please don't call me Salop'.
very good post. thanks. i didn't see you previous post explaining the review. and no more contracting your name. |
Edited by - damalc on 03/26/2007 17:46:09 |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 17:58:11
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quote:
Originally posted by damalc
and no more contracting your name.
Sal is fine; I just really hate Salop. I'd change my username if it weren't for tributes in existence. |
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Downtown
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 18:35:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
quote:
Originally posted by Yukon
I've been philospohical about racial slurs after a story I wrote for the newspaper I work it. It contained the phrase "midget." A 'little person' called me up screaming, saying midget to a dwarf is like calling a black person a nigger.
I apoligized, but remember thinking "Who made you the language police? Who are you to suddenly decide that word is offensive?" I still hear the word used all the time.
But this isn't new. That term has been considered offensive for as long as I can remember. Sure, if you could find a significant minority of people with restricted growth who found it acceptable nowadays, that might be a bit different, but I'd be surprised if you could.
How long can you remember?
When I was a kid, it was perfectly natural for people to casually use the words "dwarf" or "midget," and I'm only 30 years old so it wasn't that long ago. Perhaps the Little People of America had already decided at that point that those terms were considered undesireable and they were going to start educating the general public about that, but considering I had no idea you're supposed to say "little person" until I heard it on Seinfeld, I'd say the word hadn't really gotten around yet.
That's why I think that call Yukon got was completely out of line and totally unreasonable. You can't compare it to words like "nigger," "kike," "darky," or any other words that any moderately intelligent person knows they shouldn't be using, because there are plenty of people that just don't know little people prefer to be called little people...it's only offensive when you tell someone and yet they still insist on using the archaic term.
However...I think Yukon's editor might have deserved to be taken to task. While it's not unreasonable at all that Yukon didn't already know "midget" is the wrong word, I think an Editor should be expected to stay on top of such language issues. |
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Downtown
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 03/26/2007 : 18:46:03
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quote:
Originally posted by MisterBadIdea
But, on second thought, you are effectively submitting an FWFR that says, basically, "Niggers of Glory." Ask yourself: Is it really that funny?
No, it's not "effectively saying" that. If it said "Niggers of glory," that's just going out of your way to use the word "nigger" without any real reason. There's nothing clever about that whatsoever. When you use the word "Spades," now it's a pun on another movie title, which is a long-standing fwfr practice and it's definitely witty and clever. That still doesn't make it funny - I'm not chuckling at it - but it is clever, and I've always thought wit is far more important than humor.
I'm not going to debate whether or not a review being clever or witty makes it any less offensive. I just don't think that statement you made is fair. While the dictionary definitions of those two reviews may be the same, there's a big difference between the two.
But don't worry, I know you weren't trying to attack him or make him feel bad about it. |
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Topic |
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Calling a spade a spade
